November 5, 2025
Foster had plans to flip the seat from the long-time Republican mayor.
The mayoral race for the Metro Atlanta metropolis of Marietta has ended with the potential for change on the horizon.
The Marietta mayor incumbent, 78-year-old Steve “Thunder” Tumlin, defeated his opponent, 24-year-old Sam Foster, in a good race. In line with Atlanta Information First, Tumlin solely received by 78 votes. Ballot watchers known as the vote at round 1 a.m. on Election Night time.
Politicos watched to see if the GOP incumbent might be bested by the a lot youthful Democrat, who had by no means held workplace earlier than. Regardless of his inexperience, Foster had shiny plans as Marietta’s mayor, rising to name town house after attending Kennesaw State College in Marietta.
The IT techniques engineer ran on a marketing campaign of decrease prices of residing, improved public transportation, and elevated security. Foster grew his social media presence to clarify his plans to make life simpler for these inside Marietta, positioned 20 miles north of Atlanta.
Whereas Foster misplaced his first race, his numbers sign a sluggish however regular shift towards the left within the north Atlanta suburb. If he had received, he would have made historical past because the youngest Black mayor in Georgia historical past.
Beforehand coated by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Foster had lofty objectives for Marietta, noticing the systemic points within the metropolis throughout his undergraduate years. Staying in Marietta after receiving his diploma, he fostered neighborhood by main an area nonprofit and attending metropolis council conferences, sparking his concept to run for the highest seat.
With a inhabitants of 60,972 recorded in the 2020 census, Foster sought to alleviate displacement whereas increasing accessibility and transparency in metropolis authorities. Backed by native and nationwide nonprofits reminiscent of The CollectivePAC, Candidates for Widespread Good, and Georgia Conservation Voters, Foster’s marketing campaign proved historic, regardless that it didn’t end in a win.
Though politics in Marietta stay comparatively unchanged, Foster stays amongst many Georgia Democrats hoping to hold a blue wave throughout the southern state. Whereas he didn’t win, left-leaning voters nonetheless made historical past by electing two Democrats to the Public Service Fee, reshaping the political panorama forward of the midterms.
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